𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋! | harry styles

𝐈𝐗

THE bottom half of Cody's pants are wet to his knees, and even though he's probably cold to the bone he still jumps right into the huge puddle outside of our apartment building. He giggles as the water splashes up around him, spraying the front door and splattering his jeans with dirty rainwater.

"Cody!" I yell, shaking the raindrops off of my coat. I hold out a hand, ushering him inside and out of the cold. "I said enough. Let's go."

He trudges past me, ignoring my hand, his socks squelching inside of his boots. When he tries to run past me and up the stairs, I have to hold the back of his jacket to keep him still while I check the mailbox.

It's been like this all week. The rain has been incessant since Monday afternoon, which has meant that the Cody has been cooped up inside with me instead of being outside. Every morning as we walk to the bus he eyes off the park across the road, no doubt wishing it was dry enough to play on the equipment. Even the preschool has kept the kids inside and out of the weather, so the poor little guy is going insane.

His boots squeak against linoleum floor as I wrestle with the metal door on my mailbox, wriggling the key and trying to pull it open.

"Can I hold the letters, Momma?"

I sigh, flipping through the envelopes. Bank statements; quite possibly the most depressing read ever, junk mail, a utility bill, credit card bills, bills, more bills, and a letter from the landlord.

Turning the letter over, I rip it open and pull out the paper inside.

He tugs on my free hand. "Can I?"

"Hang on, Cody."

My eyes scan the formal-looking letter, and as it sinks in it feels like all of the air is crushed out of my lungs. They're putting my rent up.

"Momma!"

The heating doesn't work and the hot water is patchy at best.

"Mommaaaaa."

The elevators haven't worked as long as I've lived here, and the electrics are shot.

"Please? Momma? Please?"

They want me to pay more? You have got to be kidding me.

"I wanna seeeeee," Cody whines, and the tone of his voice coupled with my already frayed nerves sends me over the edge.

"No!" I snap, scrunching the letter in my hand. "Can you chill out for one second, please?"

His bottom lip drops and he scowls at me. "You're mean," he says. "I hate you."

I know he doesn't mean it, but even so it feels like my stomach falls all the way to my knees, and I can feel the corers of my mouth twitch as tears begin to well in my eyes. "Yeah, well-," I stuff the letters into my handbag, blinking back the need to cry, "-sometimes I hate me too."

"Miss. Scarlet?"

My jaw clenches so hard I'm sure the muscles at the side of my face are twitching. I turn around to find Neda, with her ever-present red bathrobe clenched tightly around her, standing in her doorway. "Is everything good?"

I nod, managing a tight-lipped smile. "We're fine thanks, Mrs. Eizadi."

Her dark eyes assess the scowling boy at my side, her brows pinching together when he refuses to take my hand. I can feel her judgment burning a hole into the back of my head, and can't even bring myself to turn and face it.

"Upstairs, please," I whisper to Cody, pressing a hand between his shoulders to urge him to move. He wriggles out of my touch but starts up the stairs anyway. "Goodnight, Mrs. Eizadi. Say hello to Joseph for us both," I call over my shoulder.